This account was written for the MidAtlantic News Research Conference on July 18-19, 1997.
Daisy Maxwell Librarian Fayetteville Observer-Times July 15, 1997 ____________ I have no idea what a typical day is. Each day is different and a real challenge. Since I have a small staff, I have to do whatever is necessary to complete the mission. My day starts at 6 a.m. when I begin reading the paper. I have to read the paper at home because I do not have time to read it at work. In addition, I want to be familiar with our news coverage before reporting to work. I report to work at 9:00 a.m. Three part-time library assistants work with me -- Elina who works 25 hours a week has been working in the library for several years. Laine started about two weeks ago and Sharon works from 5-9 p.m.. By 9 a.m. Elina, has prepared the paper to be enhanced and is enhancing images using the photo archiver. Laine, who works 32 hours a week, is enhancing the paper. First, I read and respond to in-house messages. Next I read the daily B Board which is a critique of the paper and other information posted by the editor and/or managing editor. I check my e-mail and respond to several requests for information. One person wants an obituary. Another person wants a recipe. Another reader wants information about Calvin Koonce, a former baseball player. I e-mail each person information regarding our research policy. I read the military briefs furnished by Army Times and the summary of Supreme Court decisions sent to my e-mail address. An editor requests recent population figures for the counties we serve. Since I recently downloaded the figures from the Internet, I am able to furnish the information on the spot. I work with Laine, the new employee, who is learning to enhance. In between answering the telephone and assisting reporters, I scan the microfilm to locate interesting local news I can use to write my weekly column, ''From The Archives`` a digest of major local news covering 10, 25,35 and 50 years ago. One of the feature writers needs information about Phish, a band. Since there is little information available in our database, I search Lexis-Nexis and download several articles. I check the enhancing of the new employee, add keywords to the stories she has enhanced and prepare them for indexing. A business reporter wants articles on ``Just In Time``, a business inventory concept. There are no hits when I search our database. I search Lexis-Nexis Requester, locate several articles and print them. It is great having access to Lexis-Nexis. The reporters think I am `THE GREATEST` to be able to provide information in a flash. We subscribe to Lexis-Nexis Requester, a modified version of Nexis. We pay a flat rate of $169 per month and have unlimited use. It is an ideal reference source for small libraries on a limited budget. It is 11:50 and I leave to attend the monthly meeting of the Myrover-Reese Fellowship Home, a substance abuse halfway house. I am a member of the board of directors and we have a luncheon meeting once a month. I return to the office around 1:15. There are several messages to handle. I enhance the B section (state and local news) while answering telephone requests. One patron wants to know the date her baby's birth was listed in the paper. A caller from Oregon wants a list of births published in the paper for babies born August 15, 1954. She is attempting to locate her birth mother. A customer service representative from the Circulation Department wants to know the date the list of graduates of Methodist College was published. I instruct a new reporter on using the electronic library system. A reporter at the Robeson Extra bureau needs the name of a religious leader, mentioned in an earlier story, who opposed mixed drink sales in Lumberton. I search the database and give him the name while he waited. An editor informs me that Hugh Shelton, a former commander of Fort Bragg is being considered for the position of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and he needs a detailed biography of Shelton, a description of his duties as chairman, and an organizational chart of the Defense Department. I pull the biography from the clip file and transfer the latest biographical information from the database to his basket. I obtain the organizational chart, duties, and additional information from the U.S. GOVERNMENT MANUAL. I discuss the night duties with Sharon. Check the stories indexed the previous day, deindexed and corrected three stories. It is 6:30. I clean my desk. Check my calendar for any special meeting or deadlines for the next day and leave the office.
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